updated 02:29 pm EDT, Sun July 21, 2013

Mechanical flaw with third-party component delays Shield by four days

Nvidia has updated the expected shipping date of its handheld Android gaming system to July 31st, following a fault. The Tegra 4-powered Shield was originally set to ship on July 27th, but an undefined "mechanical issue" relating to a "third-party component" caused the extended delay, with early buyers likely to get their purchases in early August.

An e-mail sent to purchasers, picked up byAndroid Central, advises of the delay, along with stating that the Shield has undergone "rigorous mechanical testing and quality assurance," though it is not clear if this extended testing stems from the mechanical fault.

The Shield is a $299 gaming device that can play Android titles using its quad-core Tegra 4 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and five-inch 720p display. It can also be used to stream video from a computer on the same network, allowing it to remotely play more graphics-intensive titles.